“There is no such thing as a neutral educational process “There is no such thing as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the ‘the practice of freedom,’ the means of which men and women participate in the transformation of their world,” (Shaul, 1970, p.15).

REAPING THE BENEFITS OF CULTURAL WEALTH: E Pluribus Unum Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D. Universidad San Francisco de Quito Research and Educational Development Institute (IIDEA: Instituto de Investigación, DesarrolloyExcelenciaEducativa) 19 November 2009 ECIS Hamburg, Germany, Hall C 2.1

Today’s focus The challenge Premise Definitions Objective: Arguments in favor of celebration (rather than lamentation) of cultural diversity in the classroom My own story: Intelligence as well as ignorance can lead to cultural plurality Past research: Language as it contributes to cultural plurality and Third Culture Kids Current research: Mind, Brain, and Education Science and how certain aspects of the brain and learning can be explained by culture Future research: The School Role in cultivating cultural plurality though Critical Thinking Skills development

The challenge…. The minority is now the majority: “It is here we can begin to see the first results of a great but not yet fully explored cultural shift of our changing world—the difference between being raised in a monolingual environment or in a many- layered cultural setting…” (van Reken, 2009, PAGE NUMBER?). Equality or differentiation? B. “…Despite a variety of attempts to prepare them for diverse students, few teachers and teacher candidates…could manage to move beyond the two contradictory moral imperatives of teaching—the teacher should treat all children equally and that they should individualize (Kennedy, 1991, p.15).

Premise “Teachers have no choice but to inquire into each students’ unique culture and learning history, to determine what instructional materials might best be used, and to determine when a student’s cultural and life experiences are compatible, or potentially incompatible, with instruction. To do less is to build emotional blocks to communication in an already complicated instructional situation (Berliner, 1986, p.29)

Term: “Culture” “Understanding who we are and where we belong is a developmental task that takes place in the context of the surrounding community…” (van Reken, 2009, PAGE NUMBER) “Culture is the invisible script” that directs our personal lives (Hollins, 2008, p. xiv) “Culture is learned rather than instinctive” (Paul Hiebert cited in Hollins, 2008, PAGE NUMBER) Dress, language, actions… culture is more than learning conformity to external patterns of behavior. Culture is also a system of shared concepts, beliefs and values “Culture is the essence of who we are and why we exist,” (Barret, YEAR, p.54) Culture is a series of “learned patterns of thought and behavior,” (Carter, 2000, p.865)

Term: “Culture” (personal favorite) “…the patterns of acceptance and rejection, the methods of gaining status and leadership, the ways of using authority and allocating belonging, the ideas about individuality and conformity, about what constitutes success and worth expressed in the formal and informal rules of conduct [that] offer daily lessons for personal and group conduct. The culture teaches concepts and attitudes about life and relationships, good and bad, depending on what patterns and values it follows,” (Taba, 1955, p.vi, cited in van Reken, 2009)

1. My story… how ignorance of culture led to cultural plurality Both cultural savvy (a deep knowledge of the values, languages and traditions of others), as well as cultural ignorance (a blindness to culture) can be successful at achieving cultural plurality I approached cultural plurality from ignorance, while my children did so through a more savvy path

My childhood Mixed marriage (culture and language) Best friends Japanese and Irish / American Indian Best friends Berkeley, California in the 1960s Reverse discrimination Bakke vs. UC Regents 1978 quota system Values and beliefs (“not judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character”) International student exchanges (Mexico and Japan) Thesis (Hariri students in Boston)

Lessons in a nutshell: “Equally logical but different” (YFU, 1979).

My adulthood Mixed marriage (Ecuadorian and American) Lived in Japan, USA, Switzerland, Ecuador, Peru Research and writing Three Children Bilingual household (Spanish and English) German School French environment (Spanish environment)

My son Gabriel’s identity True story! When he was nine- years-old in Geneva…. Monday: Japanese Tuesday: Ecuadorian Wednesday: American (Californian) Friday: American Indian/Irish

2. Past research: Languages How is language a reflection of culture?

What influence does language have on thinking “Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf brought attention to the relationship between language, thought, and culture. Neither of them formally wrote the hypothesis nor supported it with empirical evidence, but through a thorough study of their writings about linguistics, researchers have found two main ideas. First, a theory of linguistic determinism that states that the language you speak determines the way that you will interpret the world around you. Second, a weaker theory of linguistic relativism that states that language merely influences your thoughts about the real world.” http://www.angelfire.com/journal/worldtour99/sapirwhorf.html

“Ethnoscience” Cultural environment changes language “Anthropologists have found that learning about how people categorize things in their environment provides important insights into the interests, concerns, and values of their culture.  Field workers involved in this type of research refer to it as ethnoscience.  These ethnoscientists have made a useful distinction in regards to ways of describing categories of reality.  Visitors to another society can bring their own culture's categories and interpret everything in those terms.  However, there will be little understanding of the minds of the people in the society being visited.  In contrast, the visitors can suspend their own culture's perspective and learn the categories of reality in the new society.  By doing this, they gain a much more profound understanding of the other culture.” Oneill, 2009, http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/default.htm

Past research: Third Culture Kids TCK: “A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside of the parents’ culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, without having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK’s life experiences, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.” (van Reken, 2009, p.13) “…a childhood lived in, among, and between various world would one day be the norm rather than the exception,”* *Ted Ward, as cited in van Reken, 2001, p.xiiii.

Is “International a culture”?* Against the idea: “How can you possibly say people with such incredibly diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences can make up a “culture”? When the word “culture” by definition means a group of people who have something in common?” “How can there be a culture if people don’t live together?” “Based on traditional understandings of culture as something people experience commonly, how can we say that people from all these different races, cultures, creeds, ethnicities, or nationalities can actually share enough to be considered a “culture”? XimenaVidal, 2000.

Is “International a culture”?* Arguments in favor: Ximena Vidal (2000) claims that culture can be what we share experientially as well as the more traditional way we have defined it [culture]” “The third culture is more than the sum of the parts of home and host culture….” (van Reken, 2009, p.23) The unifying aspects (the “similar background”) of an international school upbringing/way of life are more dominating than the elements that highlight differences between cultures

Cultural icebergs: Indiana Department of Education (http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/esl/icebergCulture.gif)

FOREIGNER: Look different Think different HIDDEN IMMIGRANT: Look alike ADOPTED: Think alike MIRROR:

The purpose of schooling…. “It is evident that school serves the purpose of the society for which they have been constructed and that social and political forces shape the practice and purpose of schooling,” (Hollins, 2008, p.17) “School practices reflect cultural norms,” (Taba, 1955, p. vi). What are the cultural norms of international schools?

The cultural dimension of learning is essential for effective teaching: Does the school impact the culture? Does the culture impact the school? Teachers learn to teach with a particular style based on their cultural background Culture, beliefs and values are taught through school and reflected in the curriculum and teaching methods “Curriculum is a cultural product,” (Hollins, p.86)

Developing cultural plurality occurs in schools and impacts individual development Schools, as well as individuals, adopt different approaches towards achieving cultural plurality depending on the historical times, the populations in question and the educational models they embrace “It is evident that schools serve the purpose of the society for which they have been constructed and that social and political forces shape the practice and purpose of schooling,” (Hollins, 2008, p.17)

Goal: In school context: The celebration and use of students’ racial, cultural and linguistic heritage to enhance learning Viewing cultural plurality as richness rather than as a problem

Culture+Cognition+School learning= Cultural Plurality “A valid school curriculum includes both cultural knowledge and knowledge about culture.” Cultural knowledge are values and behaviors acquired in acculturation Knowledge about culture are histories, customs and traditions

What do good international schools do? Legitimize the knowledge the children bring to school with them Make meaningful connections between school learning and cultural knowledge or knowledge acquired outside of school Create a hybrid culture in school that is congruent with many of the values and practices children bring from the home and peer culture Create a community of learners where collaboration is the norm, rather than competition Balance the rights of students and teachers Provide curriculum content and pedagogical practices that support a consistent core of identity and intergenerational continuity with the past

A culturally responsive curriculum includes: Cultural relevance in subject instruction Best practices Standards Assessment (formative and summative) And develops: Academic competence Global awareness Intercultural understanding

•Intuitive-Analytical •Formal knowledge Creatiing Discovering Inventing Problem solving Critical thinking •Informal knowledge •Impressionistic •Self-actualization •Qualitative •Humanistic •Subjective •Intuitive-Analytical •Formal knowledge •Procedural knowledge •Self-regulatory •Quantitative •Objective •Empirical-Analytical

Classroom instruction and cultural mediation Culturally mediated instruction (share same cultures) Cultural accommodations Cultural immersion

3. New research: Mind, Brain, and Education Science Using what is known in neuroscience, psychology and education to teach better…. Separating the “good” from the “bad” in brain-based learning

Beliefs and Neuromyths Well-established Probably so Intelligent speculation Neuromyth 5 19 24 28 concepts concepts concepts concepts

WELL-ESTABLISHED A1: “Human brains are as unique as faces (fingerprints).” A1: “Human brains are as unique as faces; while the basic structure is the same, there are no two which are identical. While there are general patterns of organization in how different people learn and which brain areas are involved, each brain is unique and uniquely organized.”

WHAT IS WELL-ESTABLISHED A2: “All brains are not equal in their ability to solve all problems.” A2. “All brains are not equal in their ability to solve all problems. Context as well as ability influence learning. Context includes the learning environment, motivation for the topic of new learning, and prior knowledge.” Different people are born with different abilities, which they can improve upon or lose depending on the stimuli. The stimulus one receives is impacted by what the learner brings to the context, including past experience and prior knowledge

WHAT IS WELL-ESTABLISHED A3: “The brain changes with experience.” A3. “The brain is a complex, dynamic, and integrated system that is constantly changed by experience, though most of this change is only evident at a microscopic level.” You will go to bed tonight with a different brain with which you awoke. Each smell, sight, taste and touch you experience and each feeling you have can alter the physical form of your brain. The complexity and dynamic nature of the brain remind teachers that even when they feel they are not reaching students, they may very well be changing them, bit by bit

WHAT IS WELL-ESTABLISHED A4: Plasticity A4. “Human brains have high degree of plasticity and develop throughout the lifespan, though there are major limits on this plasticity, and these limits increase with age.” This discovery challenges the earlier belief of localizationism, Localizationism implies that if, for some reason, X is damaged then Y is lost forever. We now know this is not necessarily true

WHAT IS WELL-ESTABLISHED A5: Influence of past knowledge A5. “Connecting new information to prior knowledge facilitates learning.” We learn better and faster when we relate new information to things that we already know

Etta R. Hollins, Culture in School Learning Revealing the Deep Meaning (2008), p.5

4. Future research: The school’s influence Problem: There is a lack of achievement in critical thinking skills in many students Goal: Helping students think critically about cultural plurality (what are the biases of what is written; what is the quality of the research?)

Cognitive skills and critical thinking “Related to cognitive skills, I have gathered here a list of what experts say is fundamental to critical thinking: Interpretation Analysis Evaluation Inference Explanation and Self regulation” Facione 2003, translated by the author

Characteristics of a person who thinks critially Intellectual curiosity Intellectual courage Intellectual humility Intellectual empathy Intellectual integrity Intellectual perseverance Faith in reason Act justly: Have the disposition and be conscience of the necessity to consider improbable outcomes. Paul (1992) cited in Muñoz & Beltrán 2001, translated by the author Tokuhama-Espinosa 08/03

The Process: A critical thinking guide Unite all the information Understand all the concepts Ask where the information came from WHO WROTE IT?(biases) Analyze the source of information (credibility) Doubt the conclusions Accustom onself to uncertainty Exam the whole Generate new or distinct ideas/information. Adapated in part from Ciencias de la Tierra (nd). Tokuhama-Espinosa 08/03

For more information, please contact: Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, Ph.D. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador Galileo 101 Cumbayá, Quito +Tel.: +593-2-297-1937 tracey.tokuhama@gmail.com

E Pluribus Unum (“out of one, many”) Curriculum as a cultural product